Z MINIONYCH CZASÓW Geologiczny obraz Sudetów w pracach Stanisława Staszica (1755–1826)

Abstract

Geological image of the Sudetes in the publications of Stanislaw Staszic (1755–1826).A b s t r a c t. Stanisław Staszic is known as the author of a geological monograph dedicated mainly tothe Carpathian Mts., and a geological map covering an area from Smolensk to the border between Lower Silesia and Lusatia. It is one of the earliest geological maps of the Prussian part of the Sudetes Mts. and one of the earliest maps of Lower Silesia with hypsometric data. However, analysis of the Staszic’s monograph and especially the map proves that Staszic never explored the Sudetes and he did not know the important scientific works of Silesian naturalists, including the geological map by von Buch (1802). Geological image of the Sudetes in Staszic’s publications is in fact quite different from the geological structure of the region and from other geological maps of the Sudetes made in that period. The hypsometric data on the Staszic’s map are also highly incorrect compared to the measurements by the Silesian naturalists from the late eighteenth century. Therefore, it seems that the Staszic’s map is a compilation of data received probably from secondary sources, e.g. from other Polish naturalists who occasionally and briefly visited the Sudetes. The paper also describes geological observations by Staszic during his trip to the Silesian and Lusatian parts of the Western SudetesFoothills in 1804.